Details on John Laurinaitis calling former WWE Superstar "old" and "fat" shortly before releasing him

John Laurinaitis called Nick Dinsmore “old” and “fat” after he returned to WWE as an in-ring competitor in 2009.

Dinsmore, 46, initially performed as the Eugene character between 2004 and 2007. He re-signed with Vince McMahon’s company in 2009 but only competed in one televised match before receiving his release again.

Speaking on Rene Dupree’s Cafe de Rene podcast, Dinsmore admitted he should have been in better physical condition upon his return. He also revealed that WWE’s Head of Talent Relations did not hold back when he saw him at a television taping:

“I showed up at my first TV and, granted, I was not in very good shape," said Dinsmore. "I was expected to be in better shape than I was in. It f***ed me right away. Vince [McMahon said], ‘Get him out.’ Johnny Ace [John Laurinaitis] goes, ‘Nick, we’re not selling old, fat Eugene.’ ‘Okay, thank you…’”

Dinsmore’s televised return as Eugene came against a masked opponent, The Calgary Kid, on the August 10, 2009 episode of RAW. The mystery superstar, who unveiled himself to be The Miz, defeated Eugene in a Contract on a Pole match. Four days later, Dinsmore received his release from WWE.

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Nick Dinsmore appreciated John Laurinaitis’ brutal honesty

As part of his Head of Talent Relations role, John Laurinaitis is responsible for informing superstars they are no longer needed in WWE.

While some people may dislike Laurinaitis’ abrupt choice of words, Dinsmore said he did not mind the WWE executive’s honest comments:

“That’s the thing with Johnny, you knew right away. There’s very little bulls***. He’ll tell you. You might not like what he says, but at least with me [he was honest], that’s how I felt.”

Rene Dupree worked for WWE between 2002 and 2007. He added that superstars can expect to be reprimanded if they have not tanned enough or if they are overweight.

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Please credit Cafe de Rene and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.